Reseda Blvd Street Improvement Project

As Chair of the City Council’s Public Works Committee and a member of the Budget Committee, Councilmember Blumenfield helped secure more than $17 million for the Reseda Boulevard Street Improvement Project, a major investment in the West Valley’s transportation infrastructure. Reseda Boulevard serves tens of thousands of Angelenos every day, who use this street to drive, take transit, walk or bike to work, school, shops, parks and other destinations.

The Department of Transportation (LADOT) and Bureau of Engineering (BOE) have developed a proposed design for Reseda Boulevard. As with every project in his district, Blumenfield is committed to providing residents with opportunities to engage and shape the project. He will hold an Open House about the LADOT/BOE proposal at his Reseda District Office on November 15, 2018 from 6 pm to 8 pm. For more information please click here.

Improve traffic safety: More than 50 people were killed or severely injured while travelling on Reseda Boulevard between 2009 and 2017. More than 50% were walking or riding a bike.

Improve transit: Reseda Boulevard is one of Metro’s busiest transit streets, connecting the Orange Line and CSUN. The Northridge-Reseda DASH runs on Reseda north of Sherman Way. Every weekday, more than 1,000 people get on and off buses at major intersections like Reseda/Sherman Way and Reseda/Vanowen.

Enhance “Downtown” Reseda: This is an exciting time for Reseda. The long-shuttered Reseda Theater will soon become a Laemmle multiplex; thanks to a partnership between Rec and Parks and the Los Angeles Kings, long-vacant lots between Etiwanda and Lindley will become an indoor ice skating rink. Other private and public development are bringing new housing and shops. Reseda Boulevard should be more than a way to drive through Reseda; it should be a place where people come to shop, eat and play.

Improve access to schools and parks: The Reseda Boulevard corridor is home to Reseda Park, Reseda High School, SOCES, ONEgeneration Senior Center, the future Los Angeles River path, and other schools and recreational facilities. We need to make sure that our neighbors who can’t or don’t drive can travel safely through their neighborhood.

Maintaining infrastructure: The project will reconstruct damaged roadbed, repair broken sidewalks, and resurface the entire street. For too long, the City failed to properly maintain its streets and sidewalks, but now has more funding thanks to voter-approved Measure M, the recent gas tax increase, and increased street damage assessments when utilities cut into our streets. Reseda Boulevard is among the first streets in the City to get comprehensive repairs from these new funding sources.

What the Project includes:

Repair damaged pavement and sidewalks: The project will reconstruct damaged roadbed, repair broken sidewalks, and resurface the entire street. This will not only make Reseda Boulevard more attractive, but also improve safety, eliminate tripping hazards, and reduce wear and tear and traffic delays caused by poorly-maintained roads.

Protected left-turn signals (aka left-turn arrow): Allow drivers to make left turns while oncoming traffic and pedestrians are stopped, resulting in a significant reduction in conflicts among people driving and walking.

Bus Boarding Islands: Provide in-lane stops for bus operators and passengers, which reduces the amount of time buses spend at each stop. Faster transit makes Metro work better for more people, which helps get cars off the road. In the City’s Mobility Plan 2035, Reseda Boulevard is part of the Transit-Enhanced Network, and is the only north-south street in the West Valley for which these types of transit improvements are planned. Bus boarding islands reduce crossing distance for pedestrians, encourage drivers to make more careful turns, and eliminate conflicts between bicyclists and buses.

Improved Bike Lanes: Create a dedicated space for people on bicycles, skateboards and scooters. This will close the existing bike lane gap between Vanowen and Valerio, and create the only continuous bike lane across the Valley from the Tarzana hills to Porter Ranch; and upgrade the existing bike lanes.

Street Trees: Plant 2 trees for every tree removed because it is damaging sidewalks; plant trees in vacant tree wells. Shade trees help clean the air and reduce the “heat island” effect caused by sun beating down on exposed concrete and asphalt.

Bioswales and stormwater treatment: The City is under a legal obligation to reduce stormwater pollution. The Project will include landscaped areas to allow more rainwater to soak into the ground; the soils near the Los Angeles River are excellent for this purpose.

Improve City parking lots. Some of the proposed changes may reduce the number of on-street parking spaces on Reseda Boulevard. To make up for this, the City will refurbish the existing City parking lots near Reseda Boulevard and Sherman Way.

Restricted Left Turns: To allow for some of the other changes, some left-turn lanes would be removed, and left turns from Reseda onto Bassett Street, Gault Street, and Wyandotte Street would be prohibited. Because drivers making left turns against oncoming traffic often find it hard to see pedestrians and bicyclists, this may reduce the frequency of collisions.

On-Street Parking Loss: To allow for bus boarding islands and enhanced bike lanes, some on-street parking would be removed, with the greatest impacts between Kittridge and Saticoy.

No Reduction in Travel Lanes: With the project, Reseda will maintain two northbound and two southbound lanes, just as it has today. This is not a “road diet” or a reduction in travel lanes.

Coordination with Other Projects:

Sherman Way Great Street: Councilmember Blumenfield has secured $2.5 million for additional street and sidewalk improvements along Sherman Way between Wilbur Avenue and Lindley Avenue. This will implement the Conceptual Plan that was developed through a robust community engagement process as part of Blumenfield’s Reseda Rising initiative. More info about this project can be found here. http://blumenfield.lacity.org/thetools. This project might make Hart Street between Wilbur and Lindley a “Neighborhood Network” street that is safe for people who walk, bike and roll, taking advantage of the existing pedestrian bridge on Hart across Aliso Creek.